Twelve Must-Haves in an Integrated Software Solution ERP

Are you in need of a holistic, integrated software solution to streamline your security or cleaning operations and help improve your bottom line? An industry-specific ERP designed by a company specializing in your field of work is a great place to start. But, what should you be looking for? An ERP, or enterprise resource management solution, varies depending on your specific needs and the demands of your industry. View it as a checklist — these are the items you’ll want to keep an eye out for when weighing your options:

1. An industry-specific focus. Look for solutions developed specifically for your business. You want solutions built to solve the unique challenges you face each day.
2. Reliability and longevity. Look for customer reviews, the history of the company, their website and other sources. You want a software provider that boasts 99 percent uptime and one that’s consistently adding new features and enhancements so you can improve your services, too.
3. Timeline from purchase to launch. Look for detailed information around average implementation time, what resources will be made available to you during that time and what the expectations are that you’ll need to deliver. Ensure you have the resources and staff in place to dedicate to the project to make it successful.
4. Anytime, anywhere connection. Look for a solution that seamlessly integrates your job sites and timekeeping information with your back office. And, you want technology that offers different user roles to keep your information as accessible as possible to the right people at the right time.
5. Self-service accessibility. Look for a solution that offers employee self-service options. By incorporating this into your business operations, you increase employee engagement and eliminate redundant data entry.
6. One system of record. Look for a solution that houses the data you need from across your organization — in one place. A common business language is a must.
7. New features and regular maintenance. Look for a solution that’s updated regularly for both standard maintenance and product enhancements. You want a proven track record of limited downtime, both scheduled and unplanned.
8. Compliance and regulations. Your solution needs to have compliant insurance benefits management and comprehensive labor compliance management and tracking to give you peace of mind that you’re on top of your game.
9. Quality assurance and inspections. Look for a solution with web- and mobile-based components that make your inspections and evaluations simple to deploy and follow up on and make exceptional customer service a no-brainer.
10. Data-driven decision-making. Look for an ERP that offers reporting and analytics solutions to help you reimagine the enormous amount of financial, operations and workforce data you have and mine it for proactive financial and operations insights to help you manage overtime, compliance, customers and other aspects of your business.
11. Training and ongoing support: Look for a company that makes customer service a top priority. Find out how much a support call or ticket is going to cost. See if they offer ongoing training classes, webinars, in-person events or user conferences for continued education on the product.
12. Growth-enabling solution. Look for a software solution that helps future-proof your technology needs with functionality that fits your needs now (and in the future) so you don’t miss a step or need to add unnecessary head count.

Download our must-haves integrated software solution ERP checklist below.